Meet Mike & Annie

dear birth parent:

This is the most important letter we have ever written. Perhaps for you it is among the most important letters you will ever have to read. We are grateful to you for taking the time to view our portfolio and allowing us to introduce ourselves. Thank you so much.

This is no doubt a difficult time in your life and we commend you for considering such a loving, selfless act. This will surely be the greatest gift anyone can receive. Wanting another child to love and struggling with infertility for years has led us to adoption. Having grown up with adopted cousins, we are certain that adoption is right for us. We have seen how wonderful adoption is and know this is how we want to extend our family. Being brief will be difficult as we have much to share. Hopefully by the end you will have a good idea of the kind of family we are. We would love to share more in the future. We are Mike and Annie and together with our almost three year old daughter, Mary, we live in a home in the suburbs. Becoming parents for the first time was one of our greatest thrills and accomplishments. Mary came to us with the help of a surrogate, Annie's sister. We know that it is love and acceptance that form families and want our children to understand how our family came together and how much we cherish those who helped us. Our greatest wish now is to become parents through adoption. As we sit and attempt to present our thoughts and emotions to write the "letter of our lives" young Mary sits on our laps, back and forth and back and forth again, asking for a baby brother or sister. She is extremely perceptive and attuned to our plans and is on board 110%.

About us:

We met in 1998 while working at the same hospital as registered nurses. We were introduced by mutual friends and fell in love instantly. As we grew to know each other, we realized that we are very much alike, have the same beliefs and values, come from similar backgrounds and make each other laugh. We dated for five years before getting marred in 2003. One of our shared dreams was that of having a big family. We believe it is our love of life, family and the joy of parenting is what defines us. We realize how blessed we are to have a child and hope and pray that our loving family can grow on day. We are glad to say that we are best friends.

About Mike:

My husband is a 35 year old Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. His line of work allows him much flexibility. It offers him longer shifts and fewer days at work. This enables him to spend more time at home. He enjoys working out, taking family vacations and participating in and watching sport events. Mike is a caring, loving and compassionate man. Working two days a week allows him as much time at home with his family as needed. Mike enjoys cooking, watching Jeopardy and relaxing weekends. He has a great sense of humor. He loves to learn and can learn just about anything and learns it well. As his wife, I am most proud of his ability to parent. He is wonderful with Mary and knows just how to love her and take care of her. It is great to watch him enjoy our daughter. I also admire his nursing skills. He is so compassionate to all his patients and to their family members. He always takes time to make anyone in a stressful situation comfortable and helps ease their pain. He takes pride in this work and takes each case very personally because that is just the way he is. (written by Annie)

About Annie:

My wife is a 37 year old Registered Nurse. She has worked at a busy trauma ER for almost 10 years. Being a mom is the most important thing in Annie's life and this shows through our daughter. Since Annie works part-time, she is able to stay home with our daughter, Mary. She keeps busy taking Mary to Moms and Tots classes and swimming lessons. She loves being with her friends, family and going on vacations. Annie is funny and loves to laugh and always has a great time. No wonder we all cherish her so. She is one of the most thoughtful and considerate people you would ever want to know. Her family and friends can always count on her to help whenever it is needed. She is known for her love of hosting parties and having a good time. My wife is a wonderful person and my best friend. (written by Mike)

About Mary:

Mary is a very active toddler who loves to sing, laugh and play. She enjoys playing with Play-Doh, watching Tigger and Pooh, and going to her tot classes with Mommy and Daddy. She wants very much to be independent and to grow up faster than we want her to. Mary loves playing with kids of all ages, something she probably learned from playing with her twenty-four cousins. She really wants a brother or sister to take care of and play with forever.

There you have our family. We are hoping that by reading about us and looking through our portfolio we could be the family you are hoping for to love and cherish your baby forever. We have lots of love to share and are very excited with the thought of expanding our family with more children. Please enjoy taking a brief look into our lives as we share it with you.